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Teams: Minot State vs. University of Mary | Series: Series tied 11-11
Date: Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014 | Time: 6 p.m. | Site: Herb Parker Stadium

THIS WEEK: In state bragging rights are on the line as Minot State renews its rivalry with Highway 83 foe University of Mary Saturday at Herb Parker Stadium at 6 p.m. The game features the "Battle of the Big Lake" Trophy and marks the Beavers oldest rival in the NSIC.

RECORDS: The Beavers enter the weekend at 0-5 on the season and 0-5 in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference games, dropping their first NSIC North Division game last week.  U-Mary also fell in its NSIC North opener last week, falling to 2-3, 2-3 and 0-1.

COACHES CORNER: Minot State's head coach is Tyler Hughes, who begins his first season at the helm. He is 0-5 at Minot State and 20-9 overall as a head coach, all at Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, where he coached from 2011-12. Hughes spent last season as an assistant coach with Urban Meyer at Ohio State. U-Mary also opened the season with a new head coach as Josh Kotelnicki takes over sporting a 2-3 overall record.

FOLLOW THE BEAVERS: The game is broadcast locally on KCJB 910-AM with Scott Kittell calling the play-by-play. Live audio can be accessed online at kcjb.com. MISU provides live video and live stats as well as links to the live audio at MSUBeavers.com. The game is also live on KXMC CBS this week (13.3 / 591 in Minot; 12.3 in Bismarck; 11.3 in Williston; 2.3 in Dickinson). Minot State Athletics also is active on Facebook, Twitter and You Tube with all feeds accessible through the home page.

RANKINGS: Neither team is ranked in either the American Football Coaches Association Poll or the D2Football.com polls.

RECENT HISTORY: The Beavers took a step back last week as Northern State ran away with a 42-14 win during Gypsy Days in Aberdeen, S.D. The Beavers gave up 14 points early in both the first and third quarter and could not fully recover. Junior Porter Sturm (WR, Roy, Mont.) caught two touchdown passes from Zac Cunha (Jr., QB, Rocklin, Calif.) to produce the Beavers points. It was the first TD catches of the year for Sturm and the first time Minot State QBs have found someone other than Glyn Borel (Sr., WR, San Jose, Calif.) in the end zone. Jared Jacobson accounted four five touchdowns for NSU in the win. U-Mary failed on a point-after-touchdown try on its third TD of the game and then allowed a touchdown drive by Bemidji State with 9:16 remaining in the fourth quarter to fall 21-20 on their homecoming. Ben Jolliffe threw for three scores – on to Nick Jolliffe – in the loss, while Elby Pope caught two TDs for U-Mary. BSU outgained the Marauders 383-281 behind 276 yards passing by Ryan Shields.

OVERALL SERIES: Minot State and the University of Mary have played 22 times dating back to 1988 as both members of the NAIA and now the NCAA Division II. The series is tied 11 wins apiece and tied at 1-1 as members of DII. The teams resumed their rivalry in 2012 after Minot State joined the NSIC, ending a seven-year hiatus. Last season, the Marauders won the inaugural "Battle of the Big Lake" rolling to a 45-10 win at the Bismarck Community Bowl. It ended a slim 2-game winning streak for Minot State. Nick Jolliffe caught two of three TD passes from Craig Bagnell as connected on just 11 passes, but three went for scores. Minot State was paced by Randel Barber (Jr., DB, Maricopa, Ariz.), now a defensive back for the Beavers, who rushed for 82 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown. Chad Marshall had 12 tackles for the Beavers in the loss.

NOTING THE MARUADERS: The University of Mary has been involved in three tight games this season, winning two of them before last week's narrow defeat. In week 1, U-Mary topped Southwest Minnesota State 19-18 on a TD pass from Zach Roberson to Jake East with just 23 seconds to play. UM won 20-13 in week three over Concordia St. Paul and then lost last week 21-20 after missing an extra point… Senior Grant Singer is one of the top linebackers in the country as the All-American leads the NSIC with 13.4 tackles per game. Singer also leads the team in interceptions with two… Last week against Bemidji State quarterback Ben Jolliffe threw a touchdown pass to brother Nick Jolliffe… The University of Mary is the least penalized team in the Northern Sun, averaging just 3.6 penalties per game… Head coach Josh Kotelnicki won an NCAA Division II National Championship while a member of the University of North Dakota football team in 2001… UM's running back tandem of Vince Ferrante and Dariouse Gravely have combined for 366 yards rushing, only losing 29 total yards in plays behind the line of scrimmage.

LET THE BATTLE BEGIN: Minot State and the University of Mary will play for the "Battle of the Big Lake" Trophy in the second installment of the rivalry game. The trophy features a bronze plaque in the shape of the great state of North Dakota and a wood base that will display the winning seasons for each team. The bronze plaque also features the two university logos and an etched topographical version of the Missouri River's path through the state including Lake Sakakawea, forming the "Big Lake" – the nation's third largest man-made lake – halfway between the two schools. U-Mary defeated Minot State last season in the first trophy game.

AIR TRAFFIC ONLY: Minot State has moved up to the No. 9 passing offense in the NSIC, averaging 208.8 yards per game passing as Zac Cunha (Jr., QB, Rocklin, Calif.) and Crosby Jensen (So., QB, Salt Lake City, Utah) have combined for 1,044 yards. But the Beavers are last in the league in rushing by a considerable amount, trailing Minnesota Crookston by 158 yards while averaging just 46.4 yards per game.

PORTER TO PAYDIRT: Beavers junior wide receiver Porter Sturm (Roy, Mont.) caught two touchdown passes last week against Northern State. Sturm, who was shut out of the end zone for the first four games, now has 10 TDs in three years. He matched his career high with the two touchdown grabs, equaling his output from his freshman season when he caught 11 passes for 199 yards and two TDs at Upper Iowa.

SETTLING INTO A NEW ROLE: Randel Barber (Jr., DB, Maricopa, Ariz.) has been a mainstay in the Beavers lineup for three seasons, playing as a true freshman in his first year at MSU. But this season, Barber is lined up on the opposite side of the ball as Minot State moved him to defensive back. He has been at his best over the past two games, recording six solo tackles and a tackle for a loss at Northern State. He has 15 total tackles in his past two weeks.

GUTIERREZ HITS THEM STRAIGHT: Minot State's kicking game has been solid through five games as senior Brian Gutierrez (K, Granada Hills, Calif.) has hit all six PAT tries and 2 of 3 field goals. He is tied for second on the team in scoring with 12 points. In his career, Gutierrez has nine field goals total.

LAUNDRY LIST: Minot State is the second worst penalized team in the conference, just ahead of Wayne State. The Beavers have been flagged 39 times (tied with the Wildcats for last in the league) and have been assessed 357 yards of penalties for a 71.4 yards-per-game average.

BY THE NUMBERS
-10: The Beavers plus/minus number through five games, worst in the NSIC. The Beavers have not caused a turnover in three straight games and have given it away eight times in that stretch. Minot State does not have an interception yet this season as well.

7: Season high catches in a game, set last week by Leon La Deaux (Sr., WR, Port Orchard, Wash.). La Deaux leads the team in catches with 24 on the season, averaging 48 per game and 58.6 yards per game.

30: The percent Minot State has converted on third downs this season. The Beavers have been getting progressively better since a dismal 3-for-14 showing in week one, getting to nearly 40 percent last week. But, Minot State was 0-for-5 on converting third downs last week in the first quarter and are just 5 of 24 this year in the first.